(Above) Frederiksborg Castle in the Evening Light (1835). The Hirschsprung Collection, Copenhagen. © the owners
Exhibition: Christen Købke: Danish Master of Light, The National Gallery, London, March 17 – June 13 2010
Among this season's blockbuster shows, starring Van Gogh, Henry Moore, Irving Penn and other big names, there is one show which reveals a little-known master. Step forward Christen Købke, one of Denmark’s most important painters.
A contemporary of Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard, the philosopher and father of existentialism, Købke made his mark during the Danish Golden Age which saw art, culture and sciences flourish between 1800 and 1850.
Now his first solo show outside Denmark is opening at The National Gallery, showcasing his intimate images of the people and places he knew in his hometown of Copenhagen and in Italy.
One of the Small Towers on Frederiksborg Castle (circa 1834). The David Collection, Copenhagen. © Pernille Klemp / courtesy the owner
According to Kasper Monrad, senior curator at the Statens Museum for Kunst, the National Gallery of Denmark, Købke "had to be very familiar with his subjects".
"He spent 14 years living in the Citadel [Copenhagen’s military fort and main backdrop of his paintings] and three months painting the street in Østerbro," says Monrad.
"This is why his Italian paintings were not so successful, as he spent less than two years there and was never comfortable."
Yet despite its intimate subject matter, Købke's work also reflected the changing shape of Danish society which was going through a tumultuous period, despite its cultural golden age.
View from Dosseringen near the Sortedam Lake Looking towards Nørrebro (1838).Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. © SMK Foto
There was, for example, the loss of its fleet to Nelson, bankruptcy, the loss of Norway and the fight for democracy which eventually saw absolutism replaced by a constitutional monarchy in 1849.
Emerging bourgeois values are revealed, such as the focus on cultural icons including Frederiksborg Castle and Arhus Cathedral, reflecting the growing sense of national identity.
Similarly, the portraits of his family, friends and fellow artists mirrored the increasing emphasis of home life.
Self Portrait (circa 1833). Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. © SMK Foto
Although he was taught in the same Neo Classical traditions as his contemporaries, such as Wilhelm Marstand and Frederik Sødring, Købke's style was distinctive.
He only painted the façade of Fredriksborg Castle once, developing a greater interest in the chimneys, rooftops and towers of the structure.
Furthermore, while innocence and high ideals were hallmarks of the age – from Christian Andersen’s fairy tales to the idyllic landscapes of Johan Thomas Lundbye – Købke mixed his idealism with reality – a cigar seller sits outside the northern exit, highlighting the poverty outside the Citadel gates.
View Outside of the North Gate of the Citadel (1834). © Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen. Photo: Ole Haupt
A more intuitive and subtle insight defines his portraits. "We can see more of a psychological sense of the people he painted as well as a sense of the way they looked in reality," says Monrad, highlighting the sensitivity of the animal painter, Christian Holm, who Kobke captured, and the carefree, insouciance of Marstrand, with a tiny flower poking out from the corner of his mouth.
Many of the places Købke lived and worked in and immortalised on canvas are relatively unchanged today.
The Citadel is a working barracks with the bakery where his father worked, and the mill, the (functioning) church and family home still stand; even the small bridge which his sister walks up in the View from the Loft of the Grain Store at the Bakery remains.
The Transept of Århus Cathedral (1830). Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen© SMK Foto
Other landmarks, while changed, have retained their popularity, such as Lake Sortedam in Østerbro, north of Copenhagen, which features in the painting of the two girls on the jetty.
Today the lake is one of the city's most attractive and expensive living areas, full of stylish boutiques and cafes where locals go for a stroll or jog to escape the noise of the city centre.
It is clear that Købke’s work still defines Denmark's Golden Age and its capital city.
Five best places to see the art of the Danish Golden Age:
Hirschsprung Collection
With 750 paintings and more than 200 sculptures from the Golden Age to the early 20th century, this collection offers the best overview.
Iconic works include Købke’s portrait of the painter Frederik Sødring as well as Wilhelm Hammershoi’s Portrait of a Young Woman – rejected as too modern by the Danish Royal Academy.
www.hirschsprung.dk
Statens Museum for Kunst, National Gallery of Denmark
With works by Danish artists from the 13th century to today including paintings by Per Kirkeby, this Royal Private Collection provides a wider context for the masters of the Golden Age.
www.smk.dk
Frederiksborg Castle
For contemporaneous portraits of the Golden Age stars, this is the place to go. Also look out for Constantin Hansen's painting of The Constituent Assembly 1848-9, which marks the switch in the Danish political system from absolutism to a constitutional monarchy.
www.frederiksborgmuseet.dk
Thorvaldsens Museum
Built during the Golden Age (1839-48) and for one of its most famous sons, Bertel Thorvaldsens, this museum is a must-visit. Above the original plaster casts for Thorvaldsens' monumental sculptures lie Købke's painted ceilings of mythical sea creatures, which show a different side to his work.
www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Works by the 19th century French superstars such as Courbet, Monet and Manet's The Absinthe Drinker makes this collection an interesting comparison to the contemporaneous artists of the Golden Age.
www.glyptoteket.dk
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